Thomas Fogarty’s 2023 Pinot Noir offers a direct line into one of California’s pioneering mountain wineries. Dr. Thomas Fogarty began developing vineyards high above Silicon Valley in the late 1970s, betting on Pinot Noir before the region’s potential was widely understood. More than four decades later, the winery remains firmly rooted in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and this bottling draws on multiple sites to capture the region through a wider lens. The winery describes 2023 as its coolest vintage since 2011 and one of the longest, latest growing seasons in more than four decades. Fruit comes from both estate vineyards and grower sites across the mountains, with each lot kept separate before the final blend comes together. It’s a deliberate way to show the breadth of the region rather than the character of any single vineyard.  Fogarty’s approach is to guide rather than reshape. Pinot Noir is handled in small lots, fermented naturally with varying amounts of whole bunches, basket-pressed, and aged in French oak through two winters. At $36, the 2023 brings an impressive amount of patience, history, and serious mountain Pinot into one bottle.